Tina grabbed her purse and climbed out of her car. She dashed to Leslie’s decorating store, pausing at the display window, as she always did, to see what Leslie had come up with this time. She thought it might be Victorian, but wasn’t sure. Too fussy for her. In the window’s reflection, she saw the Mercedes go by. Startled, she walked inside, making sure the door closed firmly behind her.
Leslie stood in the middle of the store, talking to a middle-aged woman, but smiled at Tina. Pulling out her phone while she walked to the back, Tina waved and pointed to the old kitchen that Leslie had made into her office/break room. Leslie nodded and continued talking to her customer.
Tina heard the shop door open as she closed the kitchen door and sank down onto a chair. She hit the speed dial number for Hank on her phone. After she broke up with Brandon, she’d moved Hank to number two. Her mother was number one.
He answered on the second ring. “What’re you doing, red? Hope you’re having a nice day off.”
“I’m at Leslie’s. I think the Simpsons followed me here and may have just come in. I’m in the kitchen.”
“Okay. Stay on the line. I’m on my way.”
Good old Hank. Tina heard a commotion out front. “You can’t go back there,” Leslie said.
“Just want to see Tina. We’re friends of hers.” Evelyn Simpson’s voice, loud and clear.
“Stay right here, then. I’ll go get her.” Leslie’s voice was firm.
“It’s all right. We won’t bother you. You have a customer. We’ll just talk to Tina in back,” Eddie said, oily.
“I said I’d go get her.” Leslie sounded totally exasperated. Tina held her breath, staring at the door, waiting for it to open.
“You there?” Hank on the phone.
“Yes. Where are you?” Tina whispered
“Broadway and Memorial. Be there in a couple of minutes.”
Hurry, she thought, but didn’t say. She knew he was. Why was she so scared all of a sudden? Because they’d followed her? They probably just wanted to talk to her. But they were murder suspects. Maybe the best suspects the police had.
The door burst open, and Evelyn Simpson entered, her husband close behind. Tina stood up and was struck again at how alike they looked. He was taller, his features more masculine, but they had the same blue eyes and his hair was only a slightly darker shade of blond than Evelyn’s. Maybe that was why they were attracted to each other. Perhaps narcissistic, she thought.
“What do you want?” Her voice sounded strained, nervous. She hated that.
“We just want to talk to you. It’s hard to find you not surrounded by police.” Evelyn smiled, but it wasn’t a sincere smile.
Tina’s uneasiness increased. Surely they wouldn’t harm her here, with witnesses, but she didn’t like their attitude. Leslie stood behind them, her expression thunderous. Tina heard the front door bell tinkle and assumed the customer left. Smart. But now only one witness.
Tina let out a shaky breath. “What do you want to talk about?” She’d like to sit down, but decided against it. She needed to seem strong.
“Lots of things.” Evelyn pulled out a chair and casually sat in it, crossing her legs. Long legs encased is tight jeans. She wore an open-necked light blue sweater and loads of bracelets on each wrist that jangled when she moved.
Eddie remained standing while Leslie sputtered behind him. “This is a private area. You’re trespassing. You need to leave, or I’m going to call the police.”
Tina had no idea if they could be arrested for trespassing or not, but she liked the way Leslie was thinking.
Eddie turned and fluttered his hand in Leslie’s face. “I wouldn’t recommend you call the police. Just come in here, sit down, and be quiet.”
“Are you threatening me?”
“Just making a suggestion in the interest of your good health.”
Leslie gasped and looked at Tina. “Who are these people?”
“These are the Simpsons. Evelyn and Eddie. They knew Olivia Blackwell, and she put them in her will. They are, because of that, murder suspects, of course. I have no idea what they want from me. They followed me here, and I guess we’d better let them ask me what they want so maybe they’ll leave.”
“You,” Evelyn said, pointing her finger with a crimson nail at Tina, “are a better murder suspect than we are, since you inherited more than we did.”
“I had no idea I was in the will.”
“You say. You lived right next door to her. You could have had all kinds of conversations with her, and no one would ever know.”
Tina really hadn’t thought of that before. Was she really a suspect? Did even Hank think it might be possible? Where was Hank? It shouldn’t have taken him this long to arrive. Tina sighed. “What do you want to know?”
“First, we’re sure you checked out the box Olivia left for us. What was in it?”
Tina didn’t see any harm in telling them. “A Lalique lion.”
“Oh,” Evelyn breathed. “The amber one?”
“Yes, it’s amber. She knew you admired it?”
Evelyn nodded, then seemed to pull herself together. “Have you found any clues in all that clutter?”
“Not a thing. And if we did, I wouldn’t tell you.”
Eddie took a menacing step toward her. “We’re not here to fool around. We want some straight answers from you.”
“And what will you do if you don’t get them?” Tina glared at him. Knowing Hank was on the way gave her some backbone. But where was he?
A switchblade appeared in Eddie’s hand, making an ominous sound as he clicked it open. Tina and Leslie gasped. Evelyn smirked. Eddie waved the knife in front of Tina’s face. “Hand, breast, face? Which would you like to be disfigured the least? Now, answer the question.”
“You can’t do anything to me. Leslie’s a witness, and the police are on the way.” She hated how her voice shook and couldn’t take her eyes off the knife.
“Now why would the cops come? You haven’t had a chance to call them.”
The doorbell tinkled out front. Tina took a deep breath. “I called when I got here. I saw you following me in your brand new car.”
Evelyn looked startled. “Smarter than she looks,” she said to Eddie. “Put the knife away.”
Suddenly, Hank was in the room, gun drawn. He pushed it into Eddie’s back. “Drop it. Now!”
The knife clattered to the floor.
“Hands up. Higher!” Hank pushed Eddie against the refrigerator and patted him down with one hand, keeping the gun on his back. Then he grabbed Eddie’s wrists. He used a tie to secure them and spun Eddie around, the gun now pointed at his chest. “You’re a lot stupider than you look. Did you really think you’d get away with this?”
“Who are you? You can’t do this to me.”
Hank pulled out a badge in a slim black leather case from his back jeans’ pocket. Tina had never seen it before. She glanced at Leslie, who looked as surprised as Tina felt. Then she stared at Evelyn, who hadn’t moved a muscle.
Two police officers in uniform entered the room, guns drawn. Tina hadn’t heard the bell tinkle this time. They relaxed somewhat when they saw Hank. She recognized Cathy, who had worked in Olivia’s living room, but had never seen her male partner before.
“The woman sitting at the table,” Hank said, “also needs to be taken into custody.”
Cathy approached Evelyn, gun still drawn. “Stand up.” Her voice was no-nonsense. She planted herself in front of Evelyn and waited.
“You can’t do this. I didn’t do anything.” Evelyn didn’t so much as twitch.
“You’re an accomplice,” Hank told her. “Get up.”
Evelyn glared at him, then at Eddie. She rose slowly. “If you weren’t such a hothead, things would go better.”
“Turn around,” Cathy said. “Hands up.” She patted her down, then did the same thing Hank had with Eddie to secure her wrists.
Tina’s legs became wobbly, and she pulled out a chair and sat down.
Leslie took her hand. “You okay?”
“Will be. What about you?”
“Since I didn’t have a knife pointed at me, I think I’m probably a bit better than you.” Leslie tried to smile, but it was weak.
They watched the two uniforms take the Simpsons away. Hank said he’d be down to the station in a while to fill out the paperwork. Then he sat down opposite Tina and took her other hand.
“Sorry it took so long to get here. There was an accident at the traffic light, and I had trouble getting untangled from it. I could hear most of what you said on the phone. Red, you have to stop living up to your hair color. That temper will get you in serious trouble someday. It almost did today.”
His hand clasped hers so tightly, she almost winced. She sighed. “I can’t help it when people are stupid.”
Hank laughed. “I understand. But.”
“I know. Thank God you got here when you did.” She pulled her hands away from Leslie’s and Hank’s. Her phone sat in the middle of the table. Neither Evelyn nor Eddie had noticed it was on. She ended the call and put it in her jacket pocket. “Now what?”
“Now, if you’ve collected yourself, we go to the station so you can give a statement. Leslie, I’m sorry, but you need to come, as well. You doing okay?”
“I’ll be fine. Most excitement I’ve had in years, though. Really Tina, you scared me to death.”
“Eddie didn’t?”
“Well, yes. He scared me first, but you didn’t help things.”
“Sorry,” Tina muttered. “I knew Hank was on the way, so…”
Leslie and Hank just looked at her, and she felt ridiculous. “Let’s go and get this over with. I’m sorry I brought those two in here, but I didn’t know where else to go.”
Leslie patted her hand. “It’s okay. What are friends for? You know I’ll always have your back.”
“Thanks. I guess we’d better get this over with. Separate cars?”
“No,” Leslie said. “I’ll drive you, then bring you back here. I don’t think you should be driving just yet.”
“Good idea,” Hank said. “Give us a minute, Leslie?”
She smiled at them. “Sure. I’ll be out front, closing up the register, putting up the closed sign.”
After Leslie left the kitchen, they stood up, and Hank pulled Tina toward him. “You foolish woman. What am I going to do with you?”
“Just hold me. I can’t believe what happened.” She clung to him, relaxing somewhat in his strong arms.
“Me, either. Please don’t ever do that again. Someone threatens you with a weapon, you say, ‘yes, sir’ or ‘madam,’ as the case may be.”
“Yes, sir.”
The both laughed softly, and he pulled away, taking her upper arms into his hands. “Promise.”
“I promise.”
“All right. Off to clear this up. Let’s go.”
Her legs seemed steady enough, and Tina followed Hank into the display room. Leslie checked her over. “You look pretty good for a woman who had a knife waved in front of her.”
“Thanks.” Tina figured her friend was lying, but kindly. All she knew was she didn’t want to look into a mirror anytime soon.
When they arrived at the police station, Tina was relieved she didn’t have to face the Simpsons. The police must have taken them somewhere else. But she was not happy to find out John was going to take her statement. No one said anything about Lisbeth, and she decided not to ask. Maybe Lisbeth was interrogating the Simpsons.
John was his usual annoying self, but Tina answered all his questions. Then Hank took her to the lobby while John interviewed Leslie.
“Don’t you have an office so we wouldn’t have to sit out here?” Tina asked.
“Nope. I’m rarely even here.”
“Really. Why didn’t John talk to Leslie and me together? It would have saved a lot of time.”
“Procedure. Separating the witnesses can give us a lot of insight to the incident. For example, if the stories match perfectly, we pretty much know they’re lying. Two witnesses will see and remember different things. Often their stories don’t agree. That doesn’t mean either is lying. Together, one tends to dominate, and the other not say much. But the other might have vital info that doesn’t get presented.”
“Oh. The CIA teach you all that?”
“CIA trained me, but I read extensively because all facets of police investigation fascinate me. You know my memory is pretty good. Higher-ups realize I know a lot more about a lot of things than the average cop.”
“What will they do with the Simpson’s?”
“Eddie will be charged on several counts. Unless he pleads guilty, you’ll have to testify in court. Will that bother you?”
Tina thought about it for a minute. “A little, I guess. I’ll just remember the anger I felt and that should see me through.”
“Good idea.”
“What about Evelyn?”
“I doubt they’ll charge her. She didn’t have a weapon. She only sat there.”
Before Hank could say more, Lisbeth entered the lobby. “Hello. I need to see you two in my office.”
Tina and Hank greeted her, then followed Lisbeth down the hall. Her space was utilitarian, with a metal desk, a black vinyl desk chair, and two visitor’s chairs, but there were several pictures, probably family, Tina surmised. A handsome man in police uniform stood next to Lisbeth, who wore a gorgeous white wedding gown on a lawn somewhere. In another picture, two adorable little boys, maybe three years old, played on a rug. They looked exactly alike. A portrait of an older couple completed the display.
“Are you doing all right, Ms. Shaw? It’s not every day someone waves a knife at you, I hope.”
Tina couldn’t help smiling. “True.” She held out her right hand. It still shook a little. “I’ll be okay. All’s well that ends well, as my uncle would say. He never meet a cliché he didn’t like.”
Lisbeth laughed, then sobered. “I have some interesting news about the Simpsons.” Lisbeth sat down behind her desk and gestured to Tina and Hank to take the visitor’s chairs.
“What’s that?” Hank asked.
“They’re brother and sister.”
“What?” Tina’s mind swirled with confusion. “But they told Olivia they needed money for their wedding.”
Lisbeth nodded. “Total scammers. We’re checking them out thoroughly now. We think their IDs are fake. Eddie let it slip that Evelyn is his sister. When Evelyn was confronted with this, she first became belligerent, then stopped talking to us. We’re holding her as a material witness, and Eddie for attempted assault. That will give us some time to check on them more thoroughly.”
“Does this move them up to the top of the suspect list for Olivia’s murder, then?” Tina asked.
“Well, they’re near the top, at least. We still have a lot more investigating to do.”
“Seems to me they’re most likely. Used to breaking the law. Greedy. Not like my mother.” Tina watched Lisbeth for a reaction, but Lisbeth showed no sign of what she thought.
She just nodded and shuffled a few papers on her desk, then looked up at Tina. “Did you remember anything that happened you didn’t tell John?”
Tina thought for a moment. “Well, I didn’t tell him I almost wet my pants, but I’m pretty sure I told him every other detail about what happened.”
Lisbeth and Hank laughed. “Definitely something John wouldn’t have wanted to know.” Lisbeth stood up. “Since you were so involved with the Simpsons, I thought I’d tell you where we stand with them. I also thought it might relieve you to know they’re enjoying a stay in our jail for at least two days.”
Tina and Hank stood. She was happy her legs seemed less shaky, but she dreaded telling her mother and Uncle Bob what had happened. They’d be worried, and Laura would want her to stay in the house until this was all over, preferably with an armed guard at each entrance.
While Hank drove her back to her car on Spring Street, he asked, “You want me to come in
with you while you tell your mother and Uncle Bob what happened?”
Was he a mind reader? “That would be wonderful. You can keep Mom calm. At least calmer than I could.” They arrived at her car. “I’m going to check on Leslie, if she’s here.” But the shop was locked. Tina called her friend. Leslie assured her she was okay but had decided to take the rest of the day off. “I’m on my way home,” Tina said. “Wish me luck with the old folks.”
Leslie laughed. “Luck. Your mom’s going to be hard to handle.”
“So, what’s new about that?”
Leslie laughed again. “Nothing. Moms are pretty much alike. I’m pondering what to tell mine.”
Tina sobered. Leslie had it worse than she did. Her mom suffered from alcoholism and depression. She seemed to be improving lately, and Tina was happy for the whole family—mother, father, Leslie and Brandon.
“Maybe wait to see what they put in the paper, then play it down if it’s too graphic.”
“That sounds like good advice. Thanks. I hope we can get together soon without any more trouble.”
“Me, too. Now I’m off. I’ll call you later and let you know if I’ve been locked in my room with a guard at the door.”
More laughter. Tina ended the call and headed to her car. Might as well get it over with.
CHAPTER 46
Tina pulled out of her parking spot on Spring Street and headed home. She checked her rearview mirror often. Hank’s Jaguar didn’t let any cars get between them.
This afternoon, Tina’s mother stood at the kitchen sink, washing baby carrots.
“Hi, Mom. I’m going to let Hank in.”
Her mother looked startled as Tina brushed past her.
Hank stood on the front porch, waiting. She almost fell into his arms, but decided to get him inside first. She pulled on his arm, and he let her take him into the hallway. He closed the door with his hip. Tina leaned into him, and he put his arms around her, murmuring into her ear. She couldn’t make out what he said, but it didn’t matter. Neil Diamond singing “In the Shelter of Your Arms” played in her head. She felt as if she could stay like this forever.
Buried Under Clutter (Tina Tales Mysteries Book 2) Page 19